What do you like about baseball? Good pitching? Edwin Jackson had you covered today, taking a shutout into the eighth inning. Offense? How’s eleven runs sound, with hits from every spot in the order? You like homers? Jabari Blash launched his first today, and Yangervis Solarte hammered his eleventh. The running game? Travis Jankowski swiped a pair, Wil Myers took one, and even Jackson got in on it with his first swipe in fourteen years of baseball. Defense? Myers and Jankowski both flashed some leather. Yeah, this game had just about everything you want from Padres baseball.
The Friars got their offense on right away as Jankowski started the game with a double to right field. A one-out single put runners on the corners for Solarte, who nearly ended the fun before it started. The Brewers tried to turn his grounder to second into a double play, but they couldn’t finish it. Milwaukee challenged the call, alleging that Myers violated the Utley rule, but the call stood and Jankowski scored. A pair of walks then loaded up the bases for Christian Bethancourt, who laced a two-run single into center.
They only (only) got one in the third, with Alex Dickerson joining Solarte for back to back doubles. The bats got a little quiet after that. They woke from their nap in the sixth, starting with a one-out walk to Jackson. The veteran pitcher took second and then went to third on Jankowski’s single. Then Jankowski took second, and both runners scored when Myers hit a line drive to center. The All-Star was the third player to steal that inning, but he didn’t need to; Solarte’s bomb to right came immediately after.
The scoring in the seventh started with something we’ve been waiting all season to see.
BLASHTOFF! First career home run for @JabariBlash on the first pitch. #Padres lead 9-0 in the seventh. pic.twitter.com/GIjFH5m9uv
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 3, 2016
Christian Bethancourt followed that with a single, and a fielder’s choice saw Jose Rondon take his spot on first. The speedy youngster had no trouble scoring when Jackson did even more offensive work, doubling to left. Extra base machine Ryan Schimpf got in on the action with his own RBI double.
The Brewers finally got to Jackson in the eighth with a double, a single, and a homer, but who cares? San Diego did get one of those back. Solarte led off their last at bats with a single, then Adam Rosales drew a walk, and Blash took a pitch to the elbow to load the bases. Bethancourt grounded into a double play, but Solarte still scored.
The Padres have tomorrow off, but they’ll return Friday to face the Phillies at 7:40 PM.